Washington, D.C. – As soon as tomorrow, the House Energy and Commerce Energy Subcommittee may vote on the so-called Ratepayer Protection Act and other legislation that would fast-track the financing, permitting and construction of new hyperscale data centers across the country. The legislative package would speed construction of data centers, prioritize connection to the existing electric grid, and provide new means for companies to claim they are paying for their own power.

In response, Food & Water Watch’s Managing Director of Policy and Litigation Mitch Jones issued the following statement:

“The ‘Ratepayer Protection Act’ is the greatest use of a sly misnomer since the Vikings named Greenland. This legislation is an egregious handout to Big Tech that would do nothing to protect people and communities from the skyrocketing electricity rates, alarming water consumption and fossil fuel pollution that hyperscale data centers bring wherever they land.

“This legislation is nothing more than a fig leaf to hide profiteering business-as-usual from Big Tech. The only real answer to the AI data center crisis is a full moratorium on new construction until it can be determined if, not how, the industry can ever operate in a responsible, sustainable manner that protects people and communities from escalating economic and environmental harm.

“Big Tech will stop at nothing to force its vision down our throats. Our representatives must have the courage to stand in its way. Congress should reject this absurdly-named false solution to our data center crisis out of hand.”